


Na'shaya

by Wingstar102



Series: Ho-Rah [5]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Sexual Content, Vulcan Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-19
Updated: 2013-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-05 03:16:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1088958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wingstar102/pseuds/Wingstar102
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Learning through positive reinforcement is never a bad lesson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Na'shaya

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the wonderful Pamdizzle for helping me out of a quagmire I had written myself into with this fic. Love you to bits!

Jim chuckled and stretched, reclining naked on their bunk with hands clasped behind his head on the pillow and watching as his bondmate methodically stripped out of uniform. “I think the heads of Starfleet Academy would frown about your lesson plan for today Spock.”  
  
“Then it is fortunate that I am no longer a professor at the Academy, so I may instruct you however I wish.”  
  
The need for Spock to teach Jim this lesson was entirely Bones’ fault. Now Jim would, reluctantly, admit to anyone who knew to ask that even after two years of trying, he still couldn’t perform the _ta’al_ , a formal and proper hand gesture to greet almost all Vulcans, without help. He had figured he’d get it down eventually so it wasn’t really something to concern himself with too much, and that would have continued to be true if it hadn’t been for Sybok, Spock‘s half-brother.  
  
The story went that Sybok had, upon reaching maturity, decided to renounce the paths of logic and Surak’s teachings to follow his heart. Sarek disowned him for it and Sybok left Vulcan, without telling anyone, to end up on some world at the ass end of the Alpha quadrant. Until he had sent a message to Spock though, it was believed that he perished on Vulcan. Sarek’s happy astonishment and Spock’s absolute joy, both very Vulcan-ly expressed - much to their bondmates’ amusement - was contagious. Any survivor was a boon the Vulcan people and so the Enterprise had been tasked with retrieving Sybok, most likely on Sarek’s request.  
  
And even though Spock’s brother was ‘egregiously emotional’ by Vulcan standards, or so Spock told Jim, he still deserved the same courtesy and respect that was due to any other honored guest. The first step of that was a proper greeting. So, in standard Kirk style, he’d decided to ask his bondmate to help him while right in the middle of main Mess. In the middle of the dinner hour and sharing a meal with Sarek and McCoy no less. What happened shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it certainly rubbed Jim the wrong way.  
  
 _Trying to be casual about it, Jim glanced at his mate. “With Sybok coming aboard is a few days, I seriously need to learn that salute you guys do.”_  
  
 _“You still haven’t learned the_ ta’al _yet Jim? C’mon, you’ve been bonded to Spock for almost three years now. Learn some culture.” Bones commented, cackling, with Sarek’s carefully neutral expression adding to Jim’s ruffled feathers._  
  
 _“Seriously Bones, I’m always hearing you bitch about the Vulcan habit of overcomplicating their hospitality. Doubt you can form the ta’al either and you’ve been with Sarek longer than I’ve been with Spock!”_  
  
 _Much to Jim’s astonishment, the doctor just gave a satisfied little smirk and lifted his right hand, gracefully separating fingers into the tell-tale vee, thumb properly apart from the hand. Bones held it for a few moments longer and then dropped his hand back to the table, going back to his meal, still wearing the smug grin. Glancing sideways to his mate, Jim smiled as he made his request. “You got to teach me that. Don’t care how you have to do it, but I can’t be upstaged by this old Georgia dog.”_  
  
The “old dog” comment made Bones splutter indignantly and earned him a grueling physical a couple of days later. Worth it to get one over on his prickly friend, even if his body hated him after. Spock agreed to teach him too, so that was a bonus. His bondmate wanted to know why though and Jim still hadn’t told him the real reason.  
  
In truth, Jim didn’t want to shame Spock by appearing ignorant and disrespectful to other Vulcans, considering they were running across them with much more frequency, especially Spock‘s scholar half-brother. Sybok’s discovery opened his eyes to it. Time was of the essence, because the Enterprise was expected to arrive at Sybok’s destination in the next three solar days to take him to the colony. And he was tired of being bad at something that, while small, was very significant.  
  
Finally, Spock was completely unclothed, the very low light making him glow and highlighting the faint verdant blush that spread across his skin. Jim was a lucky bastard, he knew, to have a bondmate like Spock, that was as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside. The sensual side of his Vulcan was displayed while Spock slowly clambered onto their bunk, hovering on hands and knees over top of Jim’s supine body. It always a privilege to see when Spock let go of the tightly held control inside their quarters. Much as he hated to interrupt, even for a heartbeat, the spell that was starting to weave around them, he wanted to know. “How’d you come up with this lesson anyway?”  
  
“I did not devise it.” Spock’s eyes were almost coffee black in the near dark, but the telltale sparkle of humor was still clearly seen. “My father actually used this technique on our good Doctor McCoy. He told me the outcome was rather spectacular by his own estimation.”  
  
“What do you- _Oh!_ ” Jim caught on to what Spock was tacitly trying to convey and blushed hard at the image his mind supplied of his best friend. Not what he wanted to see. He cleared his throat and shook the picture out of his head. “So… Since you, my mate, are known to be a very methodical professor, I’m assuming you are going to start with a brief history of how the _ta’al_ came to be part of your culture?”  
  
“In essence, you are correct. But the history of the salute is very simple.” He took a few seconds to settle more fully on Jim, propped on his elbows, bellies pressing together and hips cradled between smooth and golden thighs. Comfortable, Spock continued his lecture, “The teachings of Surak were not spread throughout Vulcan with a mere thought. While it is true that all Vulcans share an awareness—that we are all marginally connected—the connection is not such that verbal communication is negated, aside from those to whom we are intimately bonded.”  
  
“Like a sixth sense, then?”  
  
Spock considered the analysis and then nodded slightly, “Or a seventh, in the case of Vulcans.”  
  
“Okay,” Jim shrugged, “So…Surak’s teachings are spreading over the hills and through the woods by word of mouth and…”  
  
Spock’s lips quirked in that small way of smiling that he had before he continued, “In the earliest years of the Reform, many clans of Vulcans remained at war amongst themselves. Those who would venture beyond their homelands to introduce the way of logic were in need of a way to distinguish themselves as neutral bodies. As with Earth history, there were established several universally known hand gestures.”  
  
Spock balled his left hand into a fist, then extended his index and middle finger out in a ninety degree angle. “This pre-Reform gesture, for example, was given by the Leader of a clan in the presence of an enemy to declare war.”  
  
Jim’s eyebrows rose, “You know, that’s almost the same as…” he trailed off as he turned his middle finger on Spock.  
  
The Vulcan’s eyes gleamed and his lips twitched. “Indeed.”  
  
Jim wiggled slightly under Spock and craned his neck to sneak a quick press of lips to the corner of the Vulcan’s mouth. “Go on,” he urged, rubbing the stubble of his cheek against Spock’s jaw. Spock loved his stubble.  
  
“It was only logical,” Spock’s voice was like a lethargic purr, “to develop a new gesture. One that bespoke the intent of Surak’s teachings. The _ta’al_ became a neutral, peaceful gesture of greeting used by those who spread the tenants of logic to declare their peaceful intent.”  
  
“So this peaceful gesture took a long time to catch on?”  
  
“Yes.” He leaned down and nipped at Jim’s shoulder, breathing in the tangy, sweet Human scent of his bondmate then pulled back. “Decades. The reason was less about executing such an exceedingly simple motion than what the salute meant.” Spock made a small motion for Jim’s hand, reinforcing the request with a thought-idea through their bond. Jim humored him with his left hand and Spock’s elation as he took a moment to examine the strong fingers and palm permeated the air around them, settling into the low simmer of arousal that always occurred when their hands came into contact for any length of time. The agonizingly slow motion of Spock bringing Jim’s hand closer didn’t help matters.  
  
Hot breath ghosted over the tips of the fingers as Spock began to explain. “Every part has significance. For example, the ring finger,” he nipped the very tip of it, and Jim shivered with pleasure. “This finger stands as the representation of _Nome_ , the idea that all things in this universe are what make life worth living. Next is the pinky.” Dark eyes sparkled in faint light when Spock kissed the tip of the finger instead of biting. Flashing a wicked grin, Jim started to harden, cock trapped snugly in the crease of his mate’s thigh and hip, willingly being seduced by his Vulcan’s subtle eroticism. He started to lift up, to capture Spock’s stern and soft mouth, wanting to ravage his mate instead of learning, but Spock gently laid tapered fingertips to his lips and tsked affectionately. “You shall pay attention my own, or I will require you to demonstrate how much of the information you have learned _after_ the lesson.”  
  
Jim’s chuckle was deep and so quiet it was more felt than heard, vibrating through Spock. “Of course. So, what’s the pinky about?”  
  
“It is for IDIC, which I have explained to you at length.”  
  
“Yeah. The whole accepting everything possible is the only way to achieve knowledge idea. You remind me of it often.”  
  
“Any competent First Officer should remind their Captain of IDIC often. We become better explorers, scientists and leaders if an open mind is maintained at all times.”  
  
Flashing a smitten and wry grin, Jim retorted, “You have a tendency to remind me more frequently than most would.”  
  
“Since my mate has an alarming habit of rushing headlong into a situation without thinking of the potential dangers to himself, I do not see an issue of reminding said mate to think before acting, lest he be the cause of his own demise with such rash actions.” Spock pecked the palm of Jim’s hand, then briskly buried the choking despair that sometimes tried to overwhelm him whenever thinking about how fragile his Human truly was and how carelessly he risked himself. It was definitely not the time for morose morbidity.  
  
Catching the faintest hint of Spock’s emotional turmoil through their bond, Jim immediately brought attention back to the lesson at hand. “So, uh, what’s the middle finger mean? I’m assuming that it doesn’t mean the same thing to Vulcans as it does to Humans.”  
  
The last part surprised Spock into a gentle laugh, the explanation allowing him time to completely suppress his darker feelings. “No. For my people, the middle digit is for the belief that every thought and action should be ruled by logic. In fact, that is the entire premise of the Doctrine of the Domination of Logic. The index finger is to show that Vulcans respect life in all circumstances no matter its origin.” He then separated the fingers into their pairs, index and middle, ring and pinky, with the telltale V in the middle. “The two sets of fingers are held apart to show that while the emotional _Nome_ and IDIC are necessary to the creation of diverse and wondrous things in our universe, emotions should not rule over logic and life.”  
  
“That’s kind of seriously ingenious.” Jim brought his hand closer, which brought Spock’s hands closer, and flicked the tips of Spock’s fingers with his tongue, enjoying the unrestrained gasp of pleasure he got for it. “Do I every tell you how turned on I get by your intelligence?”  
  
His thoughts wandered back through the last few years, recalling all of their sexual encounters since the inception of their romantic relationship. “If memory serves, every time you have informed me of how aroused you become because of my intellect, we have engaged in a vigorous bout of sexual congress. This has happened one hundred and eighty two times, without exception.” He shook his head. “However, you should be praising Surak’s wisdom and not mine, for I did not create the _ta’al_.”  
  
Smiling brightly at his mate, he nipped at Spock’s fingertips this time. “That’s true, but still. Being smart enough to learn it along with everything else, then being generous enough to share it with me?” Jim pressed more kisses to Spock’s hands, which was still wrapped around his one and brought his other hand up to cup his beloved’s beautiful face. “Plus, you know what teaching me about your culture does to me.”  
  
“I know.” A green blush spread faintly across his sharp cheekbones even as he leaned into Jim’s touch, purr rumbling louder for a moment like a very large house cat. “I must point out that your praise and arousal over something I learned in the course of childhood is highly illogical.”  
  
“Guilty, but what can I say? You using that big brain gets me _hot_.”  
  
Considering the hard, Human phallus that had been pressing incessantly into his thigh, he was sure his bondmate was going to really enjoy the next part, if only Jim would let them get to it. Spock never gave an incomplete lesson. “If it would please you, may we continue?”  
  
Jim happily waved his unrestrained hand, wanting Spock to finish his lesson so that they could get to more vigorous activities. “Sure, sure.”  
  
“Incorrigible.” Still, he carried on with the last bit of knowledge, trying to ignore the blatant sexual excitement permeating the room. His own stiff erection pressing against his bondmate’s entrance proved he wasn’t as successful as he wanted to be. “The last part is the thumb.” Jim wiggled the thick digit in response. “It represents the most important part of Vulcan social norms, which is the respect of privacy. To violate an individual’s privacy is enough to have one shunned by Clan and family, for obvious reasons.”  
  
While Humans had taken a lot longer as a civilization to understand the right to one’s privacy, Jim knew what Vulcan society meant by it. No one had the right to butt into another’s life and decisions, no matter who did or didn’t agree. Being required to mine your own business was a good way to keep people from fighting, to keep the peace Surak tried so desperately to bring about.  
  
“Together,” Spock went on, “a Vulcan offering the _ta’al_ means that may live and believe any way you like without fear of judgment, and also it is an offer to learn from each other in an effort for better understanding between beings.”  
  
Jim didn’t realize Spock was finished until a handful of seconds went by without speaking. “I’ll say it again. The entire concept behind the _ta’al_ is ingenious, but that doesn’t explain how you’re going to teach me to make it.”  
  
Not letting go of his mate’s hand, Spock shifted his hold instead, pressing his hand flush against Jim’s and moving their hands into the salute in one fluid motion. “I will use a combination of guidance and positive reinforcement to train your hand and mind to remember the _ta’al_.”  
  
“Positive reinforcement?” The dark eyes turned on him suddenly, blazing. It was a heated look Jim had seen from this mate many times before and it never failed to stir his blood or his body.  
  
Instead of responding, Spock reached over with his free hand and snatched the small bottle of oil that was always in easy reach on the tiny nightstand. Even one handed, he made deceptively quick work opening the top of the container and, Jim noted with a great deal of smug pride at his graceful mate, managed to pour a generous amount of the slick substance into his hand before tossing the container over his shoulder without a care. Jim laughed in delight, the sound morphing into a rapturous moan of pleasure as his mate started slipping fingers into his body, Spock quietly gasping in ecstasy every time Jim’s ass clenched on his extremely sensitive, hot, invading fingers.  
  
Jim’s body hungrily sucked in the next digit and he clenched his hands, too focused on Spock to notice until his devious lover stopped. Just stopped right in the middle of stretching him open and pulling his fingers free. “ _Ashaya_ ,” the voice was nothing but sexy growling at this point,” if you wish me to continue, you must resume the _ta’al_.”  
  
That’s when the diabolical nature of the lesson dawned on Jim. Groaning, frustrated with the empty feeling, he struggled for a moment to pull his attention back to his left hand and lined his fingers back up to Spock’s in the proper position.  
  
His bondmate’s response was a hard thrust of his fingers back into Jim’s hole, the suddenness of it wringing a loud shout from his throat. The concentration it took to split his attention between his hands and Spock pushing a third slick finger into him was a strain, but he held it together, knowing that if he moved his left hand again, Spock would stop and that’s not something Jim thought is inflamed body could take.  
  
One last hard rub of Spock’s fever-hot fingers against his prostate had him wriggling with desire and then the fingers slipped out, quickly replace by the crown of the verdant hued shaft just touching his fluttering hole. A fleeting thought of how in the hell he was going to focus on keeping his hand still was quickly subsumed by the hard snap of Spock’s hips, which buried his mate’s cock in one stroke, driving everything except the feel of it inside him right out of Jim’s mind.  
  
Spock didn’t even give his human any time to adjust. Instead, Jim planted his feet on the hard bunk and lifted his hips to give Spock better access, and a deeper penetration, and wildly grabbed the hot hand in his free one as the Vulcan set a brutal, wicked pace.  
  
The feral look in Spock’s smoldering eyes burned his skin, the loud grunts of effort, the spicy and wild scent permeating the air around them, skin shining with sweat and muscles rippling with the strain kept Jim’s eyes and mind focused on the moment. But every particularly hard thrust hitting his nerves in all the right ways would break him, making his whole body, including his hands, spasm in rapture and Spock, the sadist, would stop abruptly. Each time Jim would curse and plead, but Spock wouldn’t move so much as an eyelash until he settled his hand back into position.  
  
Their love-making seemed to last for hours. Each time Jim lost the salute, Spock would wait. Once Jim found his wits enough to resume, Spock would start again, becoming more passionate and feral, driving his mate wilder.  
  
But the ‘positive reinforcement’ was working. With each repetition, Jim was finding himself holding the _ta’al_ without thought for longer, not wanting their loving to stop. It had to though. It was inevitable and Jim was beginning to fray under the pressure building in his loins, spreading fast throughout his body and turning him into a writhing pile of incoherence.  
  
Spock must have noticed because he gently loosen his hand from his mate’s right and splayed them across the damp skin of Jim’s face. It took less than an instant to merge together, creating a feedback loop of immense ecstasy, doubling exponentially the pleasure each felt until the world shattered.  
  
It took more time than Jim thought it would to come back down from such an earthshaking experience, but as their breath and hearts settled back into a less frantic rhythm, Jim could only smile goofily. “I think might need a few refresher courses in the _ta’al_ over the next couple of days. You know, just to make sure the lesson stuck.”  
  
“As often as you need _k’diwa_.” Spock chuckled quietly, still trying to catch his breath. “I would hate to think I was remiss in my teaching by not making sure you had a thorough grasp of the material.”  
  
Jim laughed, delighted.  
  
~~~  
  
End.


End file.
